「At lunch break, in the backyard of the servant disciples.」
Hong Yuan practiced the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword with zeal. The wooden sword in his hand whipped through the air with fierce vigor, exuding a chilling aura.
Parry, slash, smear, stomp, cleave, shatter, hook, hang... Thrust, slice, entwine, block, sweep...
That's it, just like that! The Martial Arts cultivation for a Blue Star Transcender should be exactly like this!
After completing a sequence of the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword, Hong Yuan felt an immense sense of satisfaction. He briefly tasted the sweet reward of his bitter work finally bearing fruit. Sweet, very sweet.
The previously obscure and incomprehensible routines suddenly became clear, and the transitions between stiff moves became incredibly smooth.
[Cultivation Technique: Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword (132/500) → (136/500)]
In the past, cultivating a common technique like the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword was an agonizing struggle for him. He would barely increase his proficiency by a few points during a lunch break and would have no energy left to practice at dusk.
As his [Aptitude] grew, not only could he practice the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword with ease, but his proficiency increase during a lunch break could also reach dozens of points. Moreover, he figured he would still have energy left to continue practicing the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword at dusk!
At this moment, Hong Yuan became acutely aware that he had embarked on a unique path of cultivation: as long as the Mysterious Water Snake Avatar kept devouring, growing, and evolving, his Original Body's [Life Span] and [Aptitude] could grow infinitely!
After taking a deep breath, Hong Yuan finally managed to suppress the excitement in his heart. Lie low, lie low. I, Hong Yuan, have what it takes to lie low until the end of time.
Now that my Aptitude has grown and the proficiency panel is working, what else is there to do but max out that proficiency!
Blade Unsheath… Bow Stance Forward Stab…
Over a single lunch break, Hong Yuan practiced the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword a full fifteen times. If the servant disciple responsible for drumming hadn't chased everyone off, he would have continued practicing.
With this common Cultivation Technique, the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword, Hong Yuan had increased his proficiency by nearly 50 points.
[Cultivation Technique: Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword (136/500) → (182/500)]
「In the kitchen's backyard.」
Hong Yuan was lucky again; the outer sect deacon had once more assigned him the chore of chopping wood.
He grasped the axe and started chopping. Before long, the ground was covered with haphazardly split dry firewood.
After one sequence of the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword, he discovered his proficiency had increased by another three points. He was overjoyed, and a delighted smile unconsciously spread across his face.
If this pace continues, in three days I'll master the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword to the entry-level! I'll even have extra time to prepare for the disciple trial and become an official Disciple!
Just as Hong Yuan finished neatly piling the chopped firewood, Yue Yun walked over alone, observing Hong Yuan with an amused smile.
"Hong Yuan, chopping wood must be tiring, right?" Yue Yun asked, his eyes crinkling with a smile.
"Not tiring, not tiring at all!" Hong Yuan retorted loudly, his brows furrowed. I knew instantly this guy Yue Yun had ill intentions, treating me like a naive fool.
Seeing Hong Yuan's strong reaction, Yue Yun, on the contrary, secretly sighed in relief. Anger is good. It proves this Hong Yuan fellow hasn't reached his breaking point yet and won't lash out. Yue Yun, who came from a profligate background, knew exactly how to handle honest, gullible fools like Hong Yuan.
"My job is tending the fire, which is very easy. Hong Yuan, let's swap," Yue Yun continued.
Seeing Hong Yuan still unwilling to release the axe, Yue Yun played his trump card by mentioning Chen Dongsheng. "Senior Brother Chen Dongsheng..."
"Yue Yun, you'll get what's coming to you!" Hong Yuan exclaimed, his voice a mixture of pretense and genuine indignation. After his angry shout, he resentfully slammed the axe into an unsplit log and stormed off.
In my heart, Yue Yun and Chen Dongsheng are now on my kill list.
It's one thing to be weak now, but once my cultivation progresses, if I don't crush Yue Yun and Chen Dongsheng, this burning resentment in my heart will never fade!
Yue Yun paid no mind to Hong Yuan's impotent rage, a smug smile of triumph playing on his lips.
Then he picked up the axe and began chopping wood, practicing the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword technique simultaneously.
Yue Yun thought, Retribution? In this world, only the weak face retribution. One general's success is built on ten thousand bleached bones. Without understanding this, what's the point of cultivating Martial Arts! Hong Yuan, you naive peasant, you'd better scurry back home and contribute to my path as a Martial Artist by getting out of my way! HAHAHAHA!
Upon entering the kitchen, under the pitying or gloating gazes of the other servant disciples, Hong Yuan found himself single-handedly tending five stoves, adding firewood.
Tending the stoves was indeed a relatively easy task, giving Hong Yuan time to carefully plan his revenge against Yue Yun and Chen Dongsheng.
First and foremost, I need to assess my opponents' strength.
Based on what others have said about Yue Yun, his strength should be close to mastering the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword to the entry-level. Although he hasn't reached the First Stage Martial Artist rank, he's probably not far off.
As for Chen Dongsheng, he mastered the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword to the entry-level over a month ago. Based on the current progress of the genius servant disciples, Chen Dongsheng should be at the strength of an early First Stage Martial Artist.
No, I should be bolder in my estimation. Chen Dongsheng's aptitude might be even better than I imagined. If I push the estimate to its limit, could he already be a mid First Stage Martial Artist!?
I need to lie low, continue to lie low.
In the short term, I must avoid conflict with Yue Yun and Chen Dongsheng at all costs and do everything possible to enhance my strength. With my Innate Ability, I don't need to fight them to the death. As long as I get through this period, I can easily crush them.
No rush, no rush. I'll be like a venomous snake, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right opportunity to strike decisively and ensure they die without a burial place!
As his thoughts cleared, Hong Yuan's eyes gradually brightened.
The anger in Hong Yuan's heart also dissipated bit by bit, and he regained his peak rationality.
His Innate Ability was: as long as the Mysterious Water Snake Avatar devoured, grew, and evolved, his Original Body's [Life Span] and [Aptitude] could increase indefinitely!
This was an Innate Ability that became increasingly overpowered the further he progressed.
If I were to fight recklessly and risk my life just for a rush of courage, then I, Hong Yuan, would be the biggest idiot in the universe.
There's plenty of time; the future is long.
This enmity, the injustices Chen Dongsheng and Yue Yun have done to me—I, Hong Yuan, have already recorded them in my little black book!
「Time passed quickly, and soon it was rest time.」
After finishing his meal, Hong Yuan quietly practiced the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword in a corner of the servant disciples' backyard.
[Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword +3]
[Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword +3]
Watching the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword's progress increase in the Cultivation Technique section of his attribute panel, Hong Yuan felt immense joy. If there weren't so many people around, he would have burst out laughing.
As dusk fell, his proficiency gain slowed. After some thought, Hong Yuan quickly went to wash up.
He had made good gains this evening; his Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword proficiency had increased by nearly another 70 points.
I'm getting closer and closer to the entry-level of the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword!
[Cultivation Technique: Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword (185/500) → (253/500)]
In the backyard, when the servant disciples in various spots saw Hong Yuan once again unable to endure the toil and become the first to leave, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
It was tormenting, absolutely tormenting.
With the three-month assessment period approaching, a suffocating atmosphere weighed on everyone's hearts.
Those who hadn't reached the entry-level of the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword didn't want to leave the Sect; those who had reached entry-level didn't want to lose the generous rewards for the top three.
It was precisely in this environment that servant disciples like Hong Yuan, who had poor Martial Arts aptitude and constitution, were targeted by ambitious peers like Yue Yun. Yue Yun and his ilk exploited others by foisting all miscellaneous tasks onto them, thereby freeing themselves to focus entirely on cultivation.
Hong Yuan being targeted by Yue Yun was both a matter of chance and an inevitability.
If not for the enhancement the Mysterious Water Snake Avatar provided to his Original Body, Hong Yuan would surely have been completely outmaneuvered and crushed by Yue Yun.
But now, with the ability to turn the tables, Hong Yuan only wanted to, at some future moment, figuratively devour Yue Yun and Chen Dongsheng in return.
「In his dormitory room, Hong Yuan lay comfortably on his bed and fell asleep.」
「Meanwhile, in a large pond, Hong Yuan the Mysterious Water Snake opened its cold eyes.」
The hunt had begun.
Tonight, blood will flow like rivers!